METH LAB FIND SPOTLIGHTS GROWING INDUSTRY

The discovery of a suspected drug laboratory in Hampton could be a symptom
of a growing drug industry in which untrained and unlicensed manufacturers
use toxic chemicals in residential areas.

It is the methamphetamine industry. Methamphetamine - known on the street
as crank, ice or meth - has the dubious honor of being one of the
fastest-growing drugs in America. But one of its more insidious
characteristics is that it is one of the few drugs that can be manufactured
in a home with ingredients that are easy to find.

On Sept. 14, authorities raided a suspected meth lab in Hampton, the first
raid of its type in the North Hills.

The suspected lab is in an apartment in the 2900 block of Harts Run Road
rented to William Billock, 46. Authorities found the apartment stocked with
things commonly found in a meth lab - glass tubing, lye, beakers, rock salt
and a crock pot in a bathroom as a cooking vessel for the highly flammable
chemicals, according to court documents.

The last drug lab raided in Allegheny County was the 1988 China white lab
in Aspinwall. China white is a synthetic form of heroin.

Also found in Billock's apartment and in his father's house in the 3000
block of Swansea Crescent Drive West were what authorities call "precursor
chemicals" that are used in the manufacture of meth, according to court
documents. One such precursor chemical found was ephedrine, which can be
extracted from pseudoephedrine, an ingredient found in over-the-counter
cold medicine.

NOT NEW

Meth, which has been around for more than 25 years, is a central nervous
system stimulant that can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken orally.
Meth produces feelings of euphoria, increased energy and hyperactivity. The
effects of meth can last anywhere from eight to 24 hours.

Chronic abuse also produces paranoia and violent and erratic behavior. The
most dangerous result is when a chronic user will binge on meth and not be
able to sleep for three to 15 days.

Billock's father, also named William Billock, 90, is not a suspect and now
lives in a nursing home in West Deer.

The younger Billock originally was detained at the Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport on Sept. 13 after being accused of trying to smuggle
suspected chemicals for drug manufacturing onto an airplane.

Bruce Teitelbaum, the U.S. attorney who is prosecuting the federal case
against Billock, said methamphetamine is one of the fastest growing drugs
in the country.

But many police departments in northern Allegheny County and Butler County
report no increase in meth arrests. It is rare to find someone here with
meth, police said.

Local police said that heroin, cocaine and marijuana are the drugs of
choice for users in this area.

SHALER BUST

One of the few police departments that has found meth in the North Hills is
the Shaler Township Police Department.

Officer Dave Heinl said that in September 1997, police found meth at a rave
- - a large dance party - at the Romp N' Roll on East Sutter Road in Shaler.
More than 1,000 young people were at the rave.

Authorities said a Hampton resident who was going to college in Oregon was
selling meth at the rave and was found with 40 grams. The man, who was
convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, was
sentenced to two to five years in prison.

Heinl said this was the first and only time his department has encountered
meth.

"But it doesn't mean that it's not out there," Heinl said.

"We were told that when it shows up (in the community), we will know it. It
will be an epidemic like crack. Right now, (in Pennsylvania) it is in
Philadelphia, but a lot of labs are set up in rural areas. In those areas,
it is easier to control the smell (which is often a sign that a meth lab is
being operated)."

The manufacturing of meth results in odors similar to cat urine, ether,
acetone or ammonia, according to the Koch Crime Institute in Kansas.

ON THE RISE

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reported in 1998 that an estimated 4.7
million Americans had tried methamphetamine in their lifetime. The estimate
in 1994 was 3.8 million.

During 1998, nine meth labs were discovered in Pennsylvania. However, other
states reported higher numbers, such as California, 164; Arkansas, 151;
Missouri, 371; and Arizona, 228.

Closer to Pennsylvania, Ohio reported 12 meth lab busts, West Virginia had
four and Virginia reported one.

In addition, many treatment centers in the West and Midwest have reported
significant increases in patients with meth addiction. One Arizona clinic
for addiction treatment reported a 7,000 percent increase in clients using
meth.

But in Allegheny and Butler counties, many rehabilitation centers and
emergency rooms are, like police departments, reporting low numbers of
patients looking for help with methamphetamine abuse.

Valerie Vicari, director of the Butler County Drug and Alcohol Program,
said that her organization is keeping an eye on meth use in Butler County.

"We are not seeing an increase in methamphetamine use in Butler County, but
we are watching it due to national trends. We do have a concern with labs
in rural areas," Vicari said. "What we are focusing on right now is heroin,
and its usage is climbing fast."

Neil Caporetto, medical director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center with
facilities throughout the North Hills and Allegheny County, said he has
seen no significant increase in meth use yet.

"When meth came around, they thought it would replace coke. Meth is
basically a stimulant like coke but with a much longer high," he said.
"Cocaine and crack cocaine gives a quick intense feeling. We've seen some
(meth users), but we see so many people."

Dominic Verdini, a counselor at Alpha House in East Liberty, said he, too,
has not seen an increase in meth users.

"Heroin and crack users are the majority of the users that we treat. It
(meth use) is more in the suburbs. In the inner city, it's not as
prevalent," Verdini said.

"I think that it is not as easy to get into the cities. It might be new. A
year from now, you might start seeing it."

A detective in Pierce County, Wash., offered a piece of chilling advice to
anyone who might think that meth does not have the potential to move into
Pennsylvania.

"You think it's not a problem now - just wait," said Detective Ed Troyer of
the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

Washington state has recorded the second highest number of meth lab raids
in the U.S., and Pierce County had 40 percent of the state's total, Troyer
said. Pierce County employs a four-person methamphetamine task force team.

"It's a 12-hour high by some cheap dope that you can get for $40 a pop,"
Troyer said to explain the drug's popularity. "Meth is the cause of the
majority of our white-collar crime, such as people stealing from mailboxes,
credit card fraud and check forging to help support their habits."